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Macbeth's Third Soliloquy Essay

409 Words2 Pages

In Macbeth’s third soliloquy, Banquo is vital as he is both mentally strong and wise. The soliloquy takes place after Macbeth has killed Duncan and become King, and although nobody has acted on any suspicions that Macbeth committed the crime yet, his own guilt begins to manifest into paranoia. Macbeth believes that there will be an endless amount of people who will try to strip him of his position, and his anxiety begins in Banquo. In the first third of his soliloquy, Macbeth repeats the word “fear” several times; in the same way his mind is surrounded “full of scorpions,” his speech is surrounded by panic. Having fought alongside him, Macbeth fully recognises Banquo’s “dauntless temper,” so his dread can only be amplified through going against a courageous …show more content…

Yet even in this insecurity of strategical thinking, Macbeth doesn’t have another soliloquy till Act 5. This noticeably long period without Macbeth gathering and going through his thoughts makes it obvious to an audience that he has stopped planning his movements and started acting on his immediate desires. Further down his soliloquy, Macbeth mentions how the witches’ prophesy will mean that his crown is “wrench’d” from him by Banquo’s children and how knowing his reign is not lineal has “fil’d [his] mind.” Through Shakespeare’s use of aggressive verbs, the audience is capable of understanding that the damage being done from the thoughts in Macbeth’s head are becoming more physical and violent onto his own body. Furthermore, Banquo is being “hail’d”; in Macbeth’s mind, the issue becomes that he suffers torment for Banquo to be rewarded with generations of

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The Tragedy of Macbeth is a well known story that revolves around the word “ambition” but this ambition isn’t always self driven by someone, but rather through the influence of someone else who maintains control of the situation. The story is about a man whose desire to be the king and have power leads to the murders of those who might stand in his way. Throughout the story we see many characters who play major parts in how one event follows another, and how some characters seem to completely have control of the events in the story. Although in Macbeth the Three Sisters and Macbeth exhibit some control over the events, Lady Macbeth has the most responsibility.

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Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature” (Act 3. Scene1. Lines 47-49. Page44). To Macbeth, becoming king is worthless unless his position as king is safe. He fears that Banquo’s murder will be revenged by his own murder, and it may reveal the hidden knowledge of his guilt.

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As individuals, we have a certain degree of control over our own lives and the decisions we make. While external factors such as social pressure, cultural norms, and personal circumstances can influence us, ultimately, we have agency in choosing how we respond to those factors. This is portrayed through William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, the titular character Macbeth is the protagonist, a Scottish general who receives a prophecy from three witches that he will become king. Consumed by ambition and spurred on by his wife, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the throne for himself. However, his guilt and paranoia lead him to commit more murders in order to maintain his power, and he becomes increasingly tyrannical as his

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But to be safely thus.¨ (III.i.50-51). In Macbeth's soliloquy he knows Banquo knows the prophecies the witches had given Macbeth. Macbeth feels like Banquo knows the king was murdered. Another reason he takes matters into his own hands is because Banquo was given the prophecy that his sons would be king. At the end of Macbeth's soliloquy the reader sees that Macbeth already has a plan to insure

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In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, Macbeth truthfully expresses that life is ultimately repetitive and meaningless towards the actions that lead to death. Claiming that life is short and easily extinguished from his reaction towards Lady Macbeth’s apparent suicide. Shakespeare applies rhetorical elements to emphasize Macbeth’s responsiveness to the concept of life and death. Initially, Shakespeare commences with repetition of the word “tomorrow” thrice to accentuate the hopeless future Macbeth perceives.

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Act 3 opens with the tension filled soliloquy, in which Macbeth vents his frustration with reality, going on to create suspense and anticipation by foreshadowing future events. Fears of losing authority are exhausting Macbeth, as he recognizes the vain of his efforts. He states “To be thus is nothing; But to be safely thus”. Macbeth voices that if he does not feel safe, he should not be king. Which sets the mood for the rest of the section which is amplified when Shakespeare builds on this tension as Macbeth exclaims “Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown”, using personification referring to the witches who prophesized that Macbeth would be king, but he has no heirs, as they predicted that Banquo’s offspring would inherit the kingship.

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He reveals that he is not strong minded and is easily influenced by those around him. It is through Banquo that one can actually identify Macbeth with these traits. If it were not for Banquo’s calm and responsible reaction to the foretelling, it would be difficult to hold Macbeth on a basis on the appropriate way to respond to the situation. Banquo is not after sole success, and still considers himself successful even with his sons being heirs to the kingdom. With this genuine appreciation, we are able to view Macbeth as a greedy and irrational character.

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Shakespeare's use of soliloquy in Macbeth is very effective in influencing the events of the play. A soliloquy is a literary device in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud when they are alone or believe themselves to be alone, revealing their innermost thoughts, motivations, and feelings. In Macbeth, soliloquies are used to provide insight into the characters' thoughts and motivations. They are also used to create a sense of tension and suspense by revealing the characters' plans and desires.

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The scene Act 3 scene 2, conveys the theme that killing someone isn't the most proficient way in dealing with problems nor does it make life simpler, instead it creates more complications. Ironically, In this scene Lady Macbeth and Macbeth discuss the death of Banquo; both of them begin to show signs of fear & guilt. Both of them realize the troubles that come with killing Banquo, and recognize that troubles follow; his son Fleance can still cease the prophecy. This is demonstrated in the metaphorical quote “We have scorched the snake, not killed it.” Macbeth refers to Banquo as a snake, who has not yet been killed and is still able to “attack” them.

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"Lesser than Macbeth, and greater." (I. iii. 65). A quote that describes Banquo and also iterates where he stands. Macbeth and Banquo in Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Macbeth are two of the closest characters. They represent what the other is not: Macbeth is the evil of the play and Banquo is the all that is pure.

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Murder. The word itself evokes a feeling of uneasiness, a feeling that is undeniably abnormal. And what causes a person to murder? What attributes must a person possess to drive them to such an unnatural act? Through her soliloquy, Lady Macbeth uses extensive imagery and diction to convey exactly what characteristics make her capable of murder.

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Macbeth is the Shakespearean play that features the triumphant uprise and the inevitable downfall of its main character. In this play, Macbeth’s downfall can be considered to be the loss of his moral integrity and this is achieved by ambition, despite this, Lady Macbeth and the witches work through his ambition, furthering to assist his inevitable ruin. Ambition alone is the most significant factor that led to Macbeth’s downfall. The witches are only able to influence his actions through Macbeth’s pre-existing and the three witches see that Macbeth has ambition and uses it to control his action. Ambition alone is displayed throughout the play to be the most significant cause for Macbeth’s downfall.

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In Macbeth’s soliloquy, he talks about Banquo’s “hath of wisdom” and how Banquo acts safely(58). This illustrates that Macbeth is afraid of what Banquo might do. This illustrates Macbeth’s ambition because he is not going to give up until he finds what he is looking for if he gets suspicious with Macbeth. This makes Macbeth very scared of Banquo because if Banquo finds out that Macbeth killed Duncan, Macbeth’s life is going to be hell and Banquo is immediately going to tell everybody in Scotland. Macbeth fears Banquo so much that he will “champion his utterance” and will battle anybody to keep his crown(77).

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Macbeth’s state of mind changes dramatically throughout the play. This is revealed through his soliloquy. In his soliloquy, He shows his intention he would like to achieve but its construction shows Macbeth’s mind still very much in confusion. However, most of the time Macbeth shows three different fears considering the consequences of killing king Duncan. At the beginning of Act 1 Scene 7, Macbeth is in turmoil about killing Duncan.

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Macbeth’s soliloquy in Act 5 Scene 5 after hearing about Lady Macbeth’s death acts as a reinstitution of Macbeth’s trace of humanity, he reflects upon his own actions and life itself. Macbeth’s melancholy lamentation over Lady Macbeth’s death reveals the disorientation of time caused by his actions. Although his desires are fulfilled, he realizes in the soliloquy that everything he has done is futile. In the soliloquy, Macbeth brought up the the idea of time.

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